Related Clinical Services

Palliative Care Overview

Contact PACT

The Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT) is a team of interdisciplinary clinicians with expertise in pediatric palliative care, who add an extra layer of support to the care of children with serious illness and their families.

Our PACT caregivers support patients, families and their primary healthcare teams in decision making and advanced care planning, easing pain and symptoms, coordinating home care and address any specific issues your family may be facing.

Our specialists keep the lines of communication open between families and health care providers, so you have the information you need to make decisions. We are here to help.

Our expertise

Pediatric palliative care refers to treatments intended to optimize the quality of life and promote healing and comfort for children with life-threatening illness. Some of the support we provide includes:

optimizing pain and symptom management

advocating family and health care provider communication

coordinating inpatient, outpatient and home care

Our Pediatric Advanced Care Team consults with you, your family and your primary care team to bring together the information and guidance needed to make the best health care decisions for your child.

We bring together experts from a wide variety of disciplines in order to care for your child. Our care team includes:

social worker with expertise in psychosocial support and community resources

dedicated pastoral services

At Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, we consider you and your child integral parts of the care team and not simply recipients of care. You and your team will work together to customize a plan of care for your child.

Who we treat

Pediatric palliative care is most often delivered to children who need help managing condition-related symptoms that impose limitations on their life. This includes children who are facing any life-threatening medical condition. Some of the patients the Pediatric Advanced Care Team has supported have had:

cancer

cystic fibrosis

seizure disorders

heart disease

disorders of prematurity

genetic or metabolic conditions

This is not an exhaustive list. If your child's condition is not listed above, please contact us to learn how we may be able to help your child.

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The future of pediatrics will be forged by thinking differently, breaking paradigms and joining together in a shared vision of tackling the toughest challenges before us.”